Oktoberfest
Mighty Squirrel Brewing Co.

DATE: December 5, 2025... OCCASION: watching Santa Claus and the Ice Cream Bunny to kick off the Christmas show season... GLASSWARE: this pours a dark copper body with a creamy, thick tan head that clings to the glass with thick bubbles... stunning in its darkness... deep, malty aroma booms with caramel, toasted bread, rich garden herbs, and some nuttiness that makes this a complex draw... smooth, slick, and slammable (if so desired)... this has some body to it, but it doesn't have the bottom end heft of a lager... soft at the teeth and easy at the throat... its flavor profile is malt-forward, bready, toasty, and sweet--approaching a pretzel, but a bit of butter and toffee makes this a more of a liquid bakery... balanced and drinkable, this is a great example of the style...

Pours dark copper (SRM 24-26). The light beige foam reaches two inches before quickly retreating to a thick blanket. The beer is murky beneath patchy lace within a Spaten dimpled mug.

Spicy malt has a sweet edge, similar to fresh-baked wheat bread.

The flavor opens with toasted malt and neutral sweetness against a slight, bitter touch. Wheat bread comes forward with hazel nuts following, and a brief, almost absent, finish that suddenly makes an appearance long after each sip. Once the finish makes its second appearance, it lingers for a while.

This one has a medium body and smooth/thick texture. The alcohol is below expectations, while the soft carbonation is as expected. Residual sugar collects on the lips.

This one is enjoyable and easily could be the basis of a session while enjoying light conversation with friends.

This one pours a dark orange-ish color, with some tints of amber, a small head, and lots of lacing.

This smells reasonably toasty and malty, with light sweetness, and a touch of hop character.

This is right down the middle, nothing you haven’t had for the style, but done well. It’s toasty, slightly honeyed sweetness, with a touch of herbal hop character.

This is light bodied, clean, crisp, and quite drinkable.

This is definitely near the upper echelon of marzens I had this year.

 

From Beer Drop, canned August 13th 2025.

It pours a clear amber with a finger of foam, retention and lacing are fine.

Smell is bread caramel, toasted malt, some grain, a hint of bitterness.

The taste is caramel bread, toast, only mildly sweet, some light bitterness mid palate, finishes bready.

Medium bodied, this is very much Marzen style Oktoberfest. I would drink this again.

 

Poured from a can into a pint glass
Appearance – The beer pours a deep copper color with a two finger height head of off-white foam. The head fades fast leaving a light level of lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma is strong of bread and biscuit along with notes of roast and a light hint of coffee. Along with these smells comes a light note of caramel and a bit of apple
Taste – The taste starts with a roasted bready flavor mixed with some caramel and a bit of toffee. Along with this comes some toast and a bit of earthiness. A light nut and is there as well notes of apple. The apple and nut get a bit stronger adding a bit more bitter and sweet to the taste. Toward the end there notes of wood, and with the rest of the tastes, it leaves a roasty and lightly sweetened taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body is medium to slightly thicker and chewier with a moderate carbonation level.
Overall – A pretty nice O’fest overall. Would do it again.

Darker copper color. Clear. Moderate off-white head. It starts with a semi-ring of lace. Only a couple of thin streaks after that.

There is a buttery dry caramel smell. Unusual but attractive.

The body leans to the rich with an average to low carbonation level. Deep toasted malt flavor upfront with a touch of earthy hop in the swallow. The finish is mostly a dry roasted malt flavor. The alcohol is subtly present.

 

 

 

16oz can, date stamped 8/21/23
a 2022 GABF Gold medal winner, so I’m excited to try this gift from Anthony!
L: darker than average Märzen; it’s a deep copper color with a frothy khaki head
S: toasted grain, bread crust, caramel, herbal noble hops
T: full flavored, rich, and malty; caramelized grain, toast, bread crust; hops are herbal/earthy/spicy
F: medium body, moderate carbonation, dry finish
O: a little heavy making is less sessionable than I’d like for the style, but has good, broad flavors that remind me of Paulaner’s Oktoberfest-Märzen.

 

 

Canned 2021/09/03
Pours an off-white foamy almost 1 finger head with moderate retention, fair messy lacing, very clear rosy auburn color

Nose sweet toasted malt, biscuity toasted bread crust with some caramel glaze, a bit of caramelized sugar and nutty notes, Maillard sweetness, with a touch of herbal hop, some malt-derived ester dark fruits in the background

Taste is also a bit sweet, almost syrupy, with caramel toffee notes, toasted grain and bsicuity bread crust with more Maillard sweetness, very toasty, with med-lighter hop bitterness, a bit of herbal earthy flavor, semi sticky sweet finish, hop bitterness kicks up a tad

Mouth is med to a bit fuller bod and a bit syrupy, med frothy carb

Overall unfortunately this is the "Americanized" fake Oktoberfest style, nothing like the real ones, sweet caramel, too much of the sweet syrupy characters, not very drinkable for sitting down and session drinking a bunch of these...for Mighty Squirrel I expected better.